


That's gonna sting in the morning.

by Miizurichan



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Barista AU, Drama, Humour, M/M, Romance, tattoo artist au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-03-20 05:17:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3638187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miizurichan/pseuds/Miizurichan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iwaizumi Hajime is a tattoo artist with his own parlour. The peaceful life he has created for himself turns into a rollercoaster ride when his coworker Hanamaki spills the beans of his crush on the barista across the street- to his friend and rival. Will Iwaizumi get off the ride in one piece?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Inku to Suisaiga.

**Author's Note:**

> This is very inspired by flunflun's art of tattoo arist iwaizumi.  
> New ships might be introduced and new characters will appear and things will be updated as we go!  
> I didn't mean for the summary to sound that dramatic, but you bet Iwachan's life will change hahah.  
> I hope you enjoy!

The one thing Iwaizumi had always been good at was art. Be it with pencils, colour pencils, acrylic paint, oil paint, watercolour, you name it and he could use it. 

He loved art, but he wanted to do more. That was when he came across the idea of becoming a tattoo artist. It was all thanks to Matsukawa, who had tipped him about it in the first place.

Iwaizumi didn’t rush through his education, but he passed with flying colours and went out to find a place that would take him in as a three-year apprentice. It wasn’t hard find someone willing to take him in, but the challenge was how good he was going to be with the machines themselves. 

Truth to be told, Iwaizumi had surprised himself. His hands were steady and only the first times he needed to take breaks to avoid cramps. Needless to say, they loved him from that point on. 

Iwaizumi slowly realized that his dream was to start his own tattoo and piercing parlour so he started doing research on it. 

\----------- 

At the fine age of 25, the dream became a reality. He had saved money for years for this moment. The moment he could proudly call himself the owner of his own tattoo and piercing parlour. 

Matsukawa had been brought in to deal with the financial things, while Hanamaki had been brought in to do the piercings. They were all good friends, so Iwaizumi looked forward to working with them. 

When the parlour had been furnished and completely set up, Iwaizumi had grinned. He couldn’t have been happier. 

The parlour itself wasn’t the largest, but it was perfect for Iwaizumi’s taste and it looked modern, but somewhat classy. It was perfect. 

It didn’t take long for people to start coming by the time they opened and before it had even been a year, they were pretty popular. Some even came from other parts of Japan just because they wanted to be tattooed by Iwaizumi. 

It had been hard to handle at first, but he got used to it. Well, he thought he was used to it when a popular tattoo artist from Tokyo came by to get a tattoo. 

Iwaizumi had recognized him the moment he got through the door. He only knew of one tattoo artist with bed hair that wild. It could only be Kuroo Tetsurou from Les Chatons.

“Ah, seems I did find the right place.” Kuroo looked around himself, seemingly pleased. 

“I assume that’s because someone helped you with directions.” Iwaizumi walked up to the counter where the cash register was and looked at the tall man in front of him. First now he noticed the shorter one with his nose stuffed down into his phone.

“Mean as always, but I expected nothing less from you.” He grinned and Iwaizumi couldn’t help but chuckle. “Whatever Kuroo. What can I do for you today?” He rolled up his sleeves and he could see the short guy- he probably should have remembered his name- fix his gaze on his tattoos. 

“Well, I’m here for a piercing, but my little kitten here-” The comment earned him a jab in the ribs. “-my boyfriend, is here for a tattoo. That jab was too hard Kenma, are you trying to injure me?” Kuroo huffed out a breath and rubbed his side a bit. He only earned a mild glare in return. 

Iwaizumi couldn’t do anything but stare at the two of them before calling for Hanamaki. “Yeah, well okay. Kuroo, you head over to Hanamaki, he’s in charge of the piercings.” Both Iwaizumi and Kenma watched him go, and then looked at each other. 

“What did you have in mind for your tattoo then?” Iwaizumi looked at him and Kenma shifted his weight from one foot to the other before answering. “I want a tattoo of cherry blossoms, curling around my arm from the top of my hand and to my elbow. I want them to be coloured like watercolour.” 

“Alright. Good thing you’re not wearing a long sleeved top. Please, sit down here.” Iwaizumi gestured to the chair and Kenma sat down as told. “Would you prefer if I drew it on paper first or just go by hand?” 

Iwaizumi had quickly learned to ask that whenever a customer didn’t have a picture of exactly what they wanted. Not everyone were too pleased about him doing directly on their skin. 

“I don’t mind either way.” Kenma had looked at him, then he had turned his gaze to Kuroo, who was sitting shirtless and ready for his piercings. Iwaizumi had grunted in reply and started to draw the tattoo on Kenma’s skin in the way he wanted it with a special pencil made for this. 

By the time Iwaizumi was done using the pencil, Kuroo had got his first nipple pierced. He had to hold back a chuckle. “A bit worse than that lip piercing of yours, is it?” A grunt was all he got in reply and this time Iwaizumi did chuckle. 

“Gonna need a minute or two to prepare myself mentally for the next one, that’s for sure.” Kuroo looked toward Iwaizumi and Kenma. Iwaizumi had just finished finding the ink he needed and gotten his gloves on. “Take all the time you need, it’s going to be a while until I’m done with this tattoo either way.” And with that, Iwaizumi started on the flowers and the part of the branch that was on the top of his hand. 

It was fortunate for Iwaizumi that Kenma could handle pain. That because the underside of your arm, from your wrist to your elbow, was sensitive and more painful to get tattooed on. For most it was like that, at least from what Iwaizumi had experienced. 

When he was finished with one third of the tattoo, he paused. “Do you need a break?” He looked at Kenma, who shook his head and turned his gaze back to Kuroo. “Alright.” Shifting his position, he continued on the tattoo. 

It wasn’t long before he could tell that Kuroo was done and he could hear Hanamaki informing Kuroo about how to treat the piercings until they were healed. Iwaizumi kept his concentration on the tattoo though. 

As Kenma had said he didn’t need any breaks, and Iwaizumi didn’t need any breaks, he kept going until it was finished. It took about two and a half hour to get it completely finished but it was worth it. After Iwaizumi had cleaned Kenma’s arm and told him to go look in the mirror, Kuroo had high fived him. Though his face didn’t betray much, Kenma’s eyes were sparkling as he checked over every inch of his new tattoo. 

“Damn, you really are as good as your reputation says you are Iwaizumi.” Kuroo had grinned at him as he covered Kenma’s tattoo in plastic to protect it and given him a tube of cream and informed him a bit on how to care for it. He knew Kenma knew what to do, as both he and Kuroo had tattoos already, but it was better to be told too many times than too few times. 

“That’s what I get paid for.” Iwaizumi grinned right back at him and walked to the cashier after that. Kuroo was left chuckling to himself as he and Kenma followed him. 

Just when they were about to pay, Iwaizumi’s gaze was pulled to the window. The cute barista from the coffeehouse across the street had come by again. 

“Hey, what’s up with that?” Kuroo had arched an eyebrow and Hanamaki had burst out laughing. 

“That, my friend, is the cute barista from across the street. Iwaizumi has a thing for him. And I think the guy has a thing for Iwaizumi too, or he’s just too scared to enter.” Hanamaki had laughed even harder when the barista’s face had flared up in a fierce blush and he had dashed away. 

Iwaizumi’s head snapped toward Hanamaki, he too had some colour to his cheeks. "I don’t like him.” He crossed his arms across his chest, but none of the others believed him. 

“Yeah, keep saying that. Maybe you just need to get laid, Iwaizumi.” Kuroo had paid for both of them, then given Iwaizumi a pat on the shoulder with a laugh. “Get your face out of my love life, Kuroo.” Iwaizumi had huffed and wrinkled his nose, but it only caused Kuroo to grin wider. “Do you even have a love life at this point?” Kuroo had laughed at the look on Iwaizumi’s face and even Hanamaki couldn’t hold it. 

“Just get going already you goddamn cat.” Iwaizumi had even surprised himself with how calm he sounded even though he wanted to chuck something at Kuroo. 

They had left after that and Iwaizumi had dumped down in a chair and rubbed his face. “That damn moron and his stupid provocative words.” Iwaizumi had told himself over and over that he wouldn’t take them to heart, but it always happened. 

The problem now however, was that Kuroo was right. Iwaizumi knew that and it made everything even worse. Moreover, with Hanamaki exposing his mild crush on the barista, Iwaizumi knew Kuroo would bug him until something happened. Hell, Kuroo might even stick around in the area and refuse to go back to Tokyo until something had happened.

This was going to be the start of one hell of a rollercoaster adventure and Iwaizumi wasn’t sure if he wanted to be a part of it.


	2. Kissaten xoxo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All thanks to Hanamaki, Iwaizumi is forced to face his fears and meet his crush. But it doesn't go quite as planned. Does he need to try again, or will something close to a miracle happen next?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> orz that summary sucks, i'm sorry. 
> 
> Because of iwaoi day. this is all because of iwaoi day. 
> 
> if anyone has any questions, you can find me under the url bedhead-and-pudding on tumblr! 
> 
> Enjoy!

A week went by without anything happening, and Iwaizumi meant nothing. Kuroo hadn’t come by, the cute barista hardly came by and Iwaizumi didn’t go to the coffee house either. 

What was the problem with this? It was driving Hanamaki up a wall. He didn’t particularly want to pressure Iwaizumi, but this was getting stupid. He had to make Iwaizumi do something, even if he had to carry him all the way to the coffee house. 

It was Friday, the sun was out and Iwaizumi could go about in a tank top. The temperatures were pretty high this Friday, so Iwaizumi was very thankful for the air conditioning. 

“Iwaizumi, do you feel up for some iced coffee?” Hanamaki and Iwaizumi were having their lunch break so there weren’t any customers to handle. This meant it was the perfect time for Hanamaki to start his little plan. 

Iwaizumi turned his head and put down his lunch. “Sure. I’ll get it, where do you want it from?” He raised an eyebrow and Hanamaki had to admit he was being in an oddly good mood today. 

Well, that would only serve to make his plan go smoother. Biting back a smile, Hanamaki looked straight at Iwaizumi. “From the coffee house across the street.” The longer Hanamaki waited, the more baffled Iwaizumi got. 

Standing up quite stiffly, his face eased out before settling in a scowl. “Fine.” It was spoken in an almost forced away and Hanamaki knew why. “Catch him if he passes out in shock!” Hanamaki grinned at the sound of what was supposed to be a snort from Iwaizumi, but it sounded more like a strangled and gurgled noise. 

\---------- 

Iwaizumi was pretty sure he looked about as stiff as a waddling penguin when he crossed the street. He was probably wearing a scowl too, but it was a nervous scowl. 

He knew Hanamaki could be a little shit sometimes, but this was beyond what he thought would ever happen. Iwaizumi could already taste failure on his lips. This was going to be more awkward than accidentally walking in on his friends. 

The moment he opened the door to the coffee house and heard the little bell, all eyes were on him. The people working in the coffee house went back to what they were supposed to do. All but one did. 

\----------

Not even in his wildest dreams – and he had a lot of those – did he think his crush was going to walk right in the door. Much less dressed in a tank top. A quite fitting tank top, if Oikawa was going to say so himself. It did wonders for the tattoo artist. Showed off his tattoos, showed off those very nice collarbones and it showed off his smoking hot arms. 

Oikawa had to suck in a deep breath as the tattoo artist made his way to the counter. He prayed his voice didn’t crack. “Hi there!” He could breathe out, his voice didn’t crack. 

However, he was faced with another problem. “Hi, uh. Can I get a Café Frappé and a Palazzo?” The tattoo artist raised an arm to rub the back of his neck, obviously nervous and Oikawa was sure he was hit with Cupid’s Arrow a thousand times in a row. 

“Sure thing! What name should go with them?” Putting on his best smile, Oikawa looked up and locked eyes with the tattoo artist he was crushing so hard on. – His face was sent by gods, Oikawa was sure of that. He didn’t even want to get started on his voice – it was just that nice.

“Hajime.” The tattoo artist swallowed and broke eye contact. Oikawa was sure he would melt if it wasn’t for Kunimi jabbing him in the back when he passed by. “Alright. Coming right up!” Without thinking about it, Oikawa winked and went off to work. 

\-----------

Iwaizumi was baffled. Completely speechless. The guy was even hotter up close. And with his playful, yet rich voice, Iwaizumi was a complete goner. His looks – especially his eyes – should have been illegal. Iwaizumi thanked his ability to keep a poker face without letting any emotion slip. 

It didn’t take long for the drinks to get finished and when they did, Iwaizumi came face to face with two issues. 

When he paid for the drinks, his fingertips brushed the palm of the barista’s hand. It made a shiver run down his spine. He could tell his own fingers were cold, because the barista’s palm was burning hot. 

Then, when he was getting the drinks, their fingertips brushed and Iwaizumi had to concentrate in hopes of not dropping the drinks right to the floor. Another problem with that was that they ended up somewhat close when Iwaizumi got the drinks, so he could get a whiff of what Oikawa smelled like. He smelled like heaven, to put it quite simply. 

\-------------

Oikawa held his breath until the tattoo artist – was his name Hajime? – was out of the store. Then he released it and barely avoided the temptation of raising his hand to fan himself. 

He was sure the entire coffee house could feel the tension that had been between them, but Oikawa didn’t care. That tattoo artist was the hottest man he had seen in ages. He needed to know his name, his full name. 

“I’m going on a break, Kunimi!” Oikawa didn’t bother to wait for an answer before dashing to the pause room. He couldn’t stand in the middle of his own coffee house like some love struck idiot. However, he could do that in the pause room. 

\--------------

Both Hanamaki and Matsukawa were looking at him with hopeful eyes when he came in. Iwaizumi could only set the drinks down and flop down face first onto the couch. He groaned. That was the only answer he would give them.

Hanamaki laughed and walked over to take his drink. “Oh come on Iwaizumi, was it that bad? At least you got his name, right?” He smiled and sat down. 

“I didn’t.” Iwaizumi rolled over to his back, laying his arm over his face. “I was too distracted to look for a damn name tag.” Iwaizumi feels ashamed. Being so distracted by a person’s looks that you forget to look around yourself is embarrassing. 

Hanamaki seems dead set on making him say it aloud though. “Oh really? What had you so distracted then?” He grinned and Iwaizumi could hear Matsukawa chuckle. 

“You know why you asshole.” Iwaizumi rubbed his face before flopping over to his side. That barista was going to be the end of him. 

“Come on, just admit it already. Denial isn’t healthy for you.” This time it was Matsukawa who talked. 

“I’m going to come over there and kick both of you. I’m not going to say it, and I’m not in denial.” Iwaizumi knew the fierce blush on his face said more than enough. 

“Say that all you want, Ha-ji-me, but you’re crushing hard on that guy.” Both Hanamaki and Matsukawa grinned. They were enjoying this a lot. Seeing Iwaizumi so flustered and helpless was almost worthy of popcorn. 

“You two are the meanest guys I know, seriously. Why do I even bother to be friends with you two.” He wanted to be mad, but he couldn’t. He knew it was true. He was crushing hard on the guy, and there was no way out. 

Rolling over once more before sitting up, Iwaizumi sighed. “Fine. He was so hot up close that I could hardly pay attention to anything else. Happy now?” Iwaizumi had his arms crossed over his chest and his nose wrinkled. It was something he usually did when he was embarrassed. 

“Very.” They spoke in unison and Iwaizumi wanted to chuck pillows at them for those shit-eating grins. His face was red, he could feel it all the way to his neck. How one guy could have this much impact on him, he didn’t know. 

He just hoped Hanamaki could keep his mouth shut, or his entire friend circle would be all over him. Or worse, all over the poor guy he was crushing on. Kuroo and Bokuto would never let him live this down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it doesn't seem too rushed, and I hope you liked this little update dedicated to iwaoi because it's their day <3


	3. Dream come true

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A saturday night out with the boys is interrupted - but maybe the interruption is more good than bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't forget this, alright! this idea just came to me and I did want to introduce more characters!!   
> A few things:   
> Akaashi wears whatever he wants, mostly heels, thights and long, comfy sweaters off work. he is still male, a cis male, don't let his no care attitude toward clothes get to you.   
> I'm speeding things a little up as things are gowing very slow with PTAD, and I do wish to finish both this and PTAD before I bow under hahah.   
> Enjoy!

Once again, there’s a few days without anything happening. Life goes on as normal for both Iwaizumi and Oikawa. Apart from the fact that they can’t stop thinking about each other. 

Every time the bell rings at either places, they both look up, hoping to see each other, but it never happens. Every time it’s someone else, anyone but the person they wish to see, but don’t have guts to go to. 

Their friends notice this, but instead of helping, they’re betting on how long it’ll take either Iwaizumi to go over there again, or the barista will come to them. Well, Iwaizumi’s friends are betting on it. 

\---------

It’s a Saturday night after closing and they’re at a local bar. They’re seated at their usual table in their usual spots. 

That means, Iwaizumi has the ‘high seat’, Matsukawa is beside him to his right, Hanamaki is beside him again and Kuroo is beside Hanamaki. Kenma has the other high seat, which suits him perfectly – Kuroo would definitely just pull him up in his lap if he sits beside him. Iwaizumi always found that amusing. 

On his left is Daichi, he owns a restaurant and works as a chef there. Beside him again is Sugawara – everyone calls him Suga for short, he’s the soon-to-be co-owner of Daichi’s restaurant as it’s only months until they get married. You heard right – married.   
Beside Suga is Bokuto. He’s the loudest person of the entire group. It’s hard to believe he’s a famous hairdresser with his own hair & shaving salon sometimes. Akaashi sits beside Bokuto, always. Even if he can’t, he sits beside Bokuto. He’s the only one able to keep Bokuto in line. Akaashi is calm and quiet, much like Kenma. The snarky burns he drops are just as awesome as the ones Kenma drops. 

Akaashi is also the co-owner of Bokuto’s hair salon. People usually go to him if they really want to get something completely different. He can make patterns in hair, even beards without it being uneven. Iwaizumi suspects people go to him because he’s not afraid to wear what he wants – and kill the look completely. He looks like an indifferent guy with no sense of humour, but he’s definitely an awesome guy. He and Bokuto aren’t married, but Iwaizumi suspects they’ve been thinking about it. 

Iwaizumi loves his friends a lot. They’re the most idiotic, yet hilarious gang of morons he’s ever had the pleasure of being around. There’s only one problem though. 

They all feel a need to ‘save his non-existent’ love life. Kuroo spilled the beans, obviously. That sleazy cat can’t ever keep his mouth shut. Iwaizumi could quietly sip his drink while watching them all wonder how they were going to ‘save’ his love life. It was quite amusing, but tiring. 

His little surprise miracle comes in the form of a phone call. No one usually calls him this late; he wonders who it might be. 

“Sorry guys, I gotta take this.” He waves the phone at them before walking from the table. He can tell they’re all staring at him, but it doesn’t take long for the talking to resume. Iwaizumi heads outside to the fresh air. It’s somewhat warm, but there’s a cool night breeze out. 

Iwaizumi takes a breath and answers. “Iwaizumi here. Who is this?” He leans against the wall and patiently waits for a reply. There’s some shuffling on the other side. “Uh- This is Oikawa. From the… coffeehouse across the street from your tattoo and piercing parlour. Am I disturbing you right now?” The voice – which he recognizes – clears his throat again. 

He has to move the phone away from his ear and let out a shaky breath before putting back to his ear. “Oh, you.” He tries very hard to keep the shakiness and excitement out of his voice, but he can tell it doesn’t quite work. “You’ve got my attention.” 

There’s a small chuckle on the other side and some more shuffling. “Thank you. I know this isn’t the work phone, but I believe one of our mutual friends gave me your number because he knows I’ve wanted to get a tattoo for ages. I’m not good with needles, so I’ve been dreading it out. And I wanted you to tattoo me, soo…” The guy – Oikawa, his crush – Iwaizumi corrects himself, trails off and he has to take another breath. 

Iwaizumi pretends to consider it for about a minute, but in reality he’s just trying to not yell out in happiness. “Ah, I see. I can set up your appointment for Monday, sound good?” Iwaizumi rubs the back of his neck though he knows Oikawa can’t see it through the phone. 

“Yeah, sounds good to me, Iwaizumi. Thank you again.” His voice is light, cheerful again. It pleases Iwaizumi, hell just hearing his voice in general makes Iwaizumi’s heart leap out of control. “No need to thank me. I’ll see you Monday.” He can’t keep the smile off of his face any longer. 

They say their goodbyes, and just for good measure, Iwaizumi saves Oikawa’s number. Who knows, the guy – his crush for crying out loud – might call again sometime. He needs a moment to collect himself. The breeze outside is a nice help for that.

\---------

When Iwaizumi finally comes back inside, all eyes are on him. It doesn’t surprise him at all, what surprises Iwaizumi is that Akaashi doesn’t quite look at him. That makes the puzzle fall into place. “Of course.” He can’t help but smile amused and mouth a ‘thank you’ to him as he sits down again. 

Kuroo is the first one to speak up after he sits down. “Your face is red. Was it your cruuush?~” He’s grinning from ear to ear – clearly tipsy. Iwaizumi could play along to that. “Maybe it was. What? You didn’t think I could fix this all on my own?” The grin Iwaizumi had on his face grows wider as Kuroo tries to believe his own ears. 

“You got a date with him?!” Bokuto leans over the table, his eyes are wide and surprised. Iwaizumi snorts “Sit your ass back down, I didn’t. I’m gonna tattoo him on Monday, which is close enough for now.” He shrugs and takes another sip of his drink – blueberry vodka mixed out with grape juice. 

This makes Akaashi stare at him with wide eyes, he was clearly not expecting that. That’s also all the proof Iwaizumi needs to understand that Akaashi is their mutual friend. “How did you get him to agree to that so quickly? I’ve been trying for about a year.” He clears his throat slightly and composes himself again. Iwaizumi shrugs. “I didn’t do anything. He wanted and appointment, I gave him one, simple as that.” His eyebrows are raised, he honestly doesn’t understand the big deal. 

Akaashi shakes his head slightly. “Good luck on Monday is all I say, Iwaizumi. You’re going to need it.” Akaashi smiles lightly, Iwaizumi laughs and raises his glass. “To good luck then!” Everyone answers the cheer with various levels of enthusiasm. Just like always. 

\---------

When Iwaizumi gets home to his apartment, he flops down on the couch that is placed neatly in the living room. He feels incredibly giddy – almost like he could do anything. 

He gives himself kudos for being able to keep his cool both while talking to Oikawa and afterward. He finally got his name too – and he was going to tattoo him. It was like a dream come true. Well, a part of a dream come true. It was one step in the right direction. 

Iwaizumi just prayed he didn’t fuck anything up on Monday. He wanted this to turn out good, not end up as a disaster. Oikawa was the one person Iwaizumi would end up being most afraid to hurt, he just didn’t fully know that yet. 

One day, he told himself as he staggered to the bedroom after brushing his teeth. One day until it all went down.


	4. Adrenaline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monday has arrived and it's time for Oikawa to get his tattoo. Nothing goes as expected that day, but it seemed something good could come out of it. Will they live up to their little promises, or will they get cold feet?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally decided to update this, now I can rest assured because I pretty much wrote it exactly as my mind played it out though I changed the tattoo at least three times.  
> Update: Akaashi is still a cis male in this fic. He just walks in whatever he finds comfortable, please keep him as that when talking about this fic, because that's what he is.  
> https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTlSgVhyg9MIXnk7Zb0GxAzTjPGHbvZcOSuUMrCjrCWL2GmvRYY  
> ^-- this is the tattoo I at least based my idea around  
> uh, enjoy!

Oikawa is sure time is fooling him. When he wakes up Monday morning, he’s on the floor and so tangled into his sheets he can barely get out of them. His neck feels stiff and he’s sure he managed to stub his toe into something. 

Overall, the day starts bad and turns worse when he tries to make breakfast. It boils over, it gets burned, and in the end, Oikawa just doesn’t feel hungry anymore. He’ll get something on the way to the tattoo parlour. 

Yeah, that’s right. Oikawa, who is afraid of needles and still can’t have blood taken without crying, is getting a tattoo. What’s more is that he barely knows the tattoo artist, but he has a huge crush on him. 

It’s going to be painful, awkward and just the best and worst day of his life. He’ll never be ready, but the appointment is set and Oikawa never backs out. 

\--------------

Walking to the parlour doesn’t take too long as he already lives close both to that and his coffee house. However, that just means Oikawa has less time to prepare himself mentally for everything. 

Not that anything can make him fully prepared for this at all. Oikawa can only hope he doesn’t completely embarrass himself. 

\---------

Oikawa rounds a corner and suddenly he’s in front of the parlour. There’s definitely no backing out now. 

Taking a deep breath, Oikawa pushes the door open and tries to put on his best poker face. The moment he comes in and sees Akaashi sitting in the couch, engaged in quite a discussion with the tattoo artist who is his crush, he wants to fall to the ground. 

Not because he’s jealous, but because Akaashi is there at all. “Akaashi!” Feeling more cheerful, he walks toward the pair in the couch, only to have Akaashi stand up. “He came; I’ll be taking my leave then.” Akaashi almost looks amused as he walks past Oikawa. 

“What?!” Oikawa turns around but Akaashi only holds up a hand. Clicking a heel against the floor, he turns his head back. “You’re on your own.” His eyes flick slightly toward the tattoo artist. “He’ll take care of you.” Biting back a smile, Akaashi turns back and walks out of the parlour. His skirt is swaying behind him and his heels make small clicking sounds as he walks. 

Iwaizumi and Oikawa are left in an awkward silence until Iwaizumi stands up and walks to him. Though he somehow manages to keep the poker face, Oikawa’s heart is thumping wildly against his rib cage as Iwaizumi approaches him. 

“Hi, I’m Iwaizumi. We spoke on the phone.” Iwaizumi holds out a hand and gives Oikawa a somewhat crooked smile. Just when Oikawa thought he couldn’t be more in love, this happens. 

“Y-yeah! I’m Oikawa!” Oikawa inwardly curses himself for stuttering, but he shakes Iwaizumi’s hand with confidence anyway. He’s surprised by how warm they are – and strong. 

Iwaizumi chuckles softly. “I figured. Okay, so do you have an idea of what you want?” He walks over to a counter behind the cashier counter – It’s filled with paper and pencils of many kinds. Everything is stacked neatly in place. 

Oikawa stands dazed for a moment, watching the way Iwaizumi’s shoulders move as he moves his arms – wait, no. he’s definitely not thinking about that. Never. 

Shaking his head to forget those thoughts, Oikawa follows Iwaizumi. “Ah, yeah. I have a picture of the design I want. It’s like a branch with flowers on them, cherry blossoms, and I want them from my lower back and to my shoulder blades.” Oikawa fishes his phone out of his pocket, finds the picture and shows it to Iwaizumi. 

After he’s looked at it for a while, he nods. “Okay then. Take off your shirt and lay down there.” Iwaizumi gestures to a bench before he turns and heads to find some pencils. 

Oikawa hums in reply and pulls off his shirt with ease before laying down. Although he has to wiggle around a bit before getting comfortable, it doesn’t take long. With his head tilted to the side, he can see Iwaizumi walk up him on the bench. 

“Do you mind if I draw it directly onto your skin before tattooing it?” Iwaizumi looks at Oikawa as he sits down in the chair. He looks at Oikawa and can’t help but notice how muscular he is, despite not being bulky. 

Oikawa notices the stare, but he’s also pretty busy with checking Iwaizumi out in return. “No, not really.” He almost forgets his fear for needles as he lays down comfortably on his stomach so Iwaizumi can reach his back. 

He lays still while Iwaizumi draws the tattoo outline, but he can feel the nervousness creep up again. Both he and Iwaizumi remain quiet, but Oikawa is surprised at how comfortable the silence feels. It almost keeps his nervousness completely at bay. 

When the outline is done, Iwaizumi sits back and finds the machine for making the tattoos. He notices how Oikawa keeps his eyes closed, but he doesn’t comment on that. “I’ll only do the outlines of the branch and the outlines of the flowers. Based on how you’re feeling and how your skin reacts, we’ll decide if we’ll continue or not, okay?” With his eyes closed, Oikawa doesn’t know what expression Iwaizumi makes, but his voice sounds steady, confident, yet somewhat worried. 

Oikawa draws a deep breath, breathes out and lays down as comfortably as he can. He hears Iwaizumi get everything ready, but he still refuses to open his eyes. 

“I’m starting now.” Oikawa hears the machine start and he feels one of Iwaizumi’s gloved hands come to rest on his back – then the first touch of the needle with ink hits his skin. 

Unable to hold back, a small whimper leaves his lips and he clenches his eyes shut. It’s really not comfortable, not in the least. However, Oikawa keeps thinking it will be worth it, so he clenches his jaw through it all. 

The pain never goes over, but for some reason Oikawa can’t explain, it hurts a bit less the more Iwaizumi tattoos. Might be because his skin is somewhat numb, but Oikawa can’t bring himself to care all that much. 

\-------------

About an hour later, the basic outlines are finished. The branch outlines are brown while the flower outlines are sort of pinkish peach. 

“Your skin looks really well for having gone through this as a first timer. How are you feeling?” Oikawa cracks open an eye at the sound of Iwaizumi’s worried voice. 

He sighs softly but doesn’t move more. “Kinda numb I guess? It’s okay to continue though… I’d rather have it over in one go, to be done with that needle already.” 

“Alright. I’ll continue.” Iwaizumi’s gloved hand returns to his skin and like before, Oikawa braces himself for the first touch of the needle. 

\----------

The rest of the tattooing goes slowly as Iwaizumi now has to do all the details on the branches and the flowers. 

For a first timer, and for someone who is afraid of needles, Iwaizumi thinks Oikawa is doing great. Iwaizumi is sure some of it is because he chose a place where he can’t open his eyes and see the needle. Iwaizumi can’t help but think it’s courageous to go for such a big tattoo as a first timer. 

\--------

It takes almost three hours to finish the entire tattoo, but that’s mostly because Iwaizumi takes his time to make sure nothing hurts too much. It’s bound to be uncomfortable no matter what, but he doesn’t want to bring Oikawa unnecessary pain. 

“It’s finished.” Iwaizumi cleans off the tattoo and helps Oikawa sit up before helping him stand. “You wanna see it?” He smiles and Oikawa clings to his forearms for a bit while nodding. 

“I really want to see it!” Even as he feels a sort of prickling numbness on his back, he gets a hand mirror and is lead to the full body mirror not far away. He holds the mirror up so he can see the tattoo as he stands with his back facing the mirror. 

What he sees astounds him and he can’t help but smile. Even as it’s not even close to healed and it’s somewhat swollen and red around the edges, Oikawa finds it beautiful. 

“It’s magnificent, Iwaizumi.” Oikawa smiles and puts the mirror down to look at Iwaizumi while grinning. 

“I’m glad you like it, Oikawa.” Once again, that absolutely gorgeous crooked smile was on Iwaizumi’s face and it was not good for Oikawa’s health. 

Oikawa chuckled and thanked Iwaizumi as he was led back to the bench to tell him how to treat it. As he was eager to take care of this tattoo properly, Oikawa listened with interest as products were shown to him before gently applied to his skin by warm, yet somewhat rough hands. 

“I won’t be able to reach it by myself though…” Oikawa hums slightly as Iwaizumi covers the tattoo with plastic so it won’t be rubbing against his shirt when he puts it on. 

When he turns around and puts his shirt on, Iwaizumi has his hands by his hips and both his eyebrows raised. “Mhm, you could just say you want me to treat it for you.” He looks awfully amused and it makes Oikawa feel sheepish. “Well – yeah… Uh, I’ll treat you dinner if you do!” 

Iwaizumi looks stunned. He can barely believe that happened, though he supposes Oikawa still has some adrenaline rushing through his veins. “Sure… I’d like that. But you’ve still gotta pay for the tattoo!” 

In hopes of hiding his mildly flushed cheeks, Iwaizumi turns around and heads to the counter. “Of course I will pay for it!” Oikawa huffs and follows him, pulling out his card to pay with it. 

When that’s all taken care of, Oikawa shoots a smile at Iwaizumi before leaning in to kiss his cheek before he steps back, waves and walks out. Adrenaline is still running through his veins, but he doesn’t regret doing it. 

Iwaizumi can only hold his cheek and stare after him with a completely baffled expression. “Holy shit.” 

Iwaizumi can’t get any more words out, not even as Hanamaki comes back after running errands. This could go somewhere, and that guy, that damn crush of his, that he just tattooed, initiated everything. 

It felt unreal, but Iwaizumi was dead set on riding out this wave for as long as he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea, it's five in the morning and I don't even know if this makes sense, oops.


	5. Instinct

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day after Oikawa got his tattoo and his promise with Iwaizumi still stands. Little do they both know that many surprises are in store for them that morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in a while but I certainly hope this update will be worth the wait.   
> Finally things are catching on here for our two shop owners.   
> Also it wasn't obvious, but a new pair makes their official appearance as a couple although it's already established!   
> Enjoy!

Already the next morning Iwaizumi was woken up far earlier than he would have liked. As he rolled over in bed mushed his face into his pillow, he picked up the ringing phone by the nightstand. 

He had forgotten to turn down the screen brightness the night before and was nearly blinded by the sudden light in his face as he tried to look at the name of the caller. Muttering a curse, Iwaizumi swiped the green call button and held the phone to his ear. 

“Yeah, Iwaizumi here.” Not only was his voice muffled by his face being mushed halfway into a pillow, but he sounded like he had just woken up, which was probably not very pleasant. Iwaizumi had heard many times from Matsukawa and Hanamaki - as well as Kuroo - that he sounded like living death when he just woke up. 

“Oh, Iwa-chan, did I wake you?” The cheerful voice on the other side on the line could only belong to one person, and that was enough to get Iwaizumi awake in seconds. 

“No, it’ fine.” Blatant lie, but Oikawa didn’t need to know that. Iwaizumi cleared his throat slightly and sat up. How could he have forgotten the promise he made to Oikawa just the day before. Oikawa didn’t need to know that either. 

“Great! Um, so I start work in like an hour – you do too, right? So, if you could just… come over as soon as possible? The tattoo and-” Iwaizumi could only listen as Oikawa rambled on about everything. He had always had a charmingly annoying voice. It was weird. 

“Mhm, I know. Just tell me your address and I’ll be there.” He couldn’t hold back a small yawn as he got out of his bed and searched the floor for his pants and socks with his free hand. Now that the thought about it, he probably should have changed singlet too. 

“Ah, you should know where I live, maybe. I live in the apartment building like five houses down from my coffeehouse!” Oikawa told him how many floors up he lived, then he hummed on the other side of the line before he hurriedly added: “Ah! I said I’d treat you dinner and everything but is breakfast okay for today?” 

Iwaizumi couldn’t help but chuckle lightly at the mild distress in Oikawa’s voice. “Breakfast is just fine.” Although it was a bit of a problem to dress with just arm, he made do with it. 

“Great! Do you like eggs? Ah – though I do have bacon if you’d like that too. And… other things but a warm breakfast is nice, right? And coffee. How do you even like your coffee Iwa-chan?” Oikawa rambled on about breakfast, blissfully unaware of the fact that Iwaizumi was already on his way over to his place. Iwaizumi had nearly stopped by the mirror beside the door to check of his hair looked okay before he headed out. But just nearly. 

“Mhm sounds nice, Oikawa. Black coffee is just fine for me.” The moment he had said this, Oikawa protested with a loud snort. The sound made Iwaizumi chuckle and smile to himself as he walked down the road toward the street where his parlour and Oikawa’s coffee house was. 

“Don’t laugh at me, Iwa-chan! Black coffee is so boring; I’m going to make something special for you!” Iwaizumi could almost hear the pout in his voice. As if falling for his looks wasn’t enough. 

“Just don’t make it too sweet.” Smiling to himself, he rounded the corner and walked into the street where his destination was. 

“I won’t, I promise!” The excitement in Oikawa’s voice made him sound like a kid, but Iwaizumi didn’t mind it. In fact, he found it rather cute. 

Oikawa continued to ramble on about something but Iwaizumi only listened halfway. Iwaizumi wasn’t even sure if Oikawa knew he was already on his way, but for some reason he doubted it. 

His steps were quick as he moved up to the 4th floor of the building, then he walked to the door with the sign of Oikawa’s name on it. Judging from the way it looked just here in the stairways, Iwaizumi figured these apartments were either new or just had some work done. 

Iwaizumi could hear him still rambling on about something as he raised his hand to ring the doorbell beside the door. This seemed to interrupt his ramble. “Ah, Iwa-chan, hold on. Someone’s at the door.” 

“Sure, I’ll wait.” Now he was certain Oikawa had no idea it was him, which pleased him greatly. 

As he stood still outside, he could hear the soft sound of feet thumping against the floor from inside. Then the sound of the door being unlocked came, before Oikawa opened the door wide. “Hi – Hajime?” 

Iwaizumi couldn’t help but smile and chuckle at the sight of Oikawa’s baffled expression. “Hey there. Surprised you, didn’t I?” Iwaizumi couldn’t help but grin and hang up before putting his phone in the pocket of his jeans.

Although he tried to collect himself quickly, it wasn’t quick enough, so instead of embarrassing himself even further, Oikawa just shook his head. “Of course you surprised me, Iwa-chan!” With a huff, he stepped back to allow Iwaizumi inside. 

With a small shrug, Iwaizumi stepped inside and toed off his shoes. “Mission accomplished then.” He sent another smile in Oikawa’s direction before he started looking around in the hall but before he could look very much, cold hand wrapped around his wrist and tugged on his arm.

“You can look at a later time, we have things to do.” Oikawa didn’t hesitate to drag Iwaizumi halfway through the apartment to get to the kitchen. Not that Iwaizumi put up much of a fight. 

Iwaizumi couldn’t help but look around himself in awe. Oikawa’s kitchen looked as flawless as his coffeehouse, if not even more. Iwaizumi had seen his share of kitchens from visiting friends and family, but he could honestly say this was by far one of the prettiest kitchens he had ever seen. 

It was sleek and modern, but oddly homey, in a sense. He would have loved to see more, if it wasn’t for Oikawa’s face popping up in front of his own with a pout. “I-wa-chan. We don’t have time for this.” 

“Yeah, yeah I know. How about we take that tattoo of yours first and then we eat? Just find the products, sit down and I’ll fix it.” Iwaizumi watched Oikawa lighten up and run off in the direction of what he assumed was the bathroom. 

Iwaizumi was in the middle of washing his hands when he heard Oikawa’s footsteps come back into the kitchen. “I’m ready, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa’s voice sounded as cheerful as ever as he pulled a chair out and sat down with his chest facing the back of the chair. 

He had tried not to seem fazed by the sudden appearance of Oikawa’s toned back as he turned around, but Iwaizumi couldn’t help but let his eyes roam over it for a short while before walking toward him. At this time, he was thankful Oikawa sat with his back toward him. 

Picking up the tepid, soft cloth Oikawa had brought, Iwaizumi gently began dabbing it over his tattoo to soften the skin up before going over with the cream. Iwaizumi was gentle as he went over the tattoo and never stroked the cloth across the still tender skin. “It’s a bit early to say, but it seems to be doing fine so far. Did you sleep well last night?” Iwaizumi couldn’t help but be curious about it, he supposed it came with the profession. 

Oikawa didn’t move or seem in pain as Iwaizumi finished dabbing over the tattoo. “Hmm, I’m usually a quiet sleeper, so I don’t move around much either. And I slept on my stomach with the sheets off it, so it didn’t really cause me any discomfort.” Oikawa starts humming softly when he’s done talking. Iwaizumi supposes it’s a sort of habit, not that it bothered him. 

“That’s good. Also, you won’t be wearing the plastic now, because it shouldn’t be on for long periods of time. I also suggest wearing a shirt that won’t rub too much against your skin in a way that would irritate it. Think of it as a sunburn. If you can’t be without a shirt, you gotta find one in the right material to make sure it doesn’t irritate the skin further.” Iwaizumi gently started rubbing the cream onto Oikawa’s tattoo. He couldn’t help but notice how warm his skin was, but he was pleased to notice it wasn’t just the tattooed area that was hot. 

Humming a bit more, Oikawa nodded before turned his head slightly. “I usually wear silk if I get sunburns, it’s never irritated my skin before so that would be okay, right?” The smile on Oikawa’s lips looked content, as though he was enjoying this little tattoo care session. Not that Iwaizumi complained. But he would never admit that. 

“If it’s worked before, so to speak, then I guess it’ll be fine.” With a small shrug, Iwaizumi bent down a bit to reach the lowest part of Oikawa’s tattoo. Although it made him more aware of the situation, Iwaizumi was glad Oikawa’s sweatpants hung low on his hips. It spared him the embarrassment of having to ask Oikawa to pull them down a bit. 

When he was done, he straightened up and headed back over to the sink to wash his hands. “Give it a minute or two to dry into your skin a bit, then you can get dressed.” Iwaizumi wasn’t really paying attention to his surroundings as he washed his hands until a pair of lips briefly met the back of his neck. 

Iwaizumi had tensed up and turned around in hope to ask Oikawa what the heck that was, but there was no longer anyone in the kitchen. Raising a hand to rub the spot where Oikawa had kissed him, he instantly felt the patch of goose bumps on the back of his neck. He was sure he was being toyed with, be it on purpose or not. 

When Oikawa came back into the kitchen, he saw Iwaizumi sitting by the kitchen table, both elbows on the table, both hands tucked beneath his chin as he looked out the window at the sunny morning. Oikawa couldn’t help but feel a pull in his chest. Iwaizumi looked gorgeous, just sitting there like that, not doing anything at all. He had even impulsively did something like kiss the back of his neck. Oikawa still wasn’t sure what made him do that. 

To snap Iwaizumi out of his thoughts, Oikawa cleared his throat slightly and waited for Iwaizumi’s gaze to turn and settle on him. “So, you want eggs and bacon for breakfast, Iwa-chan?” A bright smile was on his face and Iwaizumi couldn’t help smile a bit as well. 

“Sure. Do you need help with any of it?” Iwaizumi was halfway up from the chair when Oikawa came over to him and pushed him back down into the chair. “No! It’s fine! I said I’d treat you, so let me!” Oikawa huffed slightly before walking over to the fridge to find everything he needed. 

Chuckling softly, Iwaizumi made himself comfortable in the chair while watching Oikawa get everything ready for making breakfast. His seemingly signature hum was naturally in place as he moved swiftly around the kitchen. 

It didn’t take more than fifteen minutes for everything to be ready and on the table. Iwaizumi supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised at the fact that Oikawa could cook as well, but for some reason it did. 

When Oikawa finally sat down on the opposite side of him on the table, he placed a cup of coffee in front of himself, then the other one in front of Iwaizumi. Even without leaning close to it, he could smell the delicious aroma from it. 

“Well, taste it!” Oikawa smiled widely and gestured to the coffee. Iwaizumi figured he looked kind of like an excited child, but it was okay, because he was adorable when he was excited. 

“I’m getting to it.” Raising an eyebrow at the coffee maker, he also raised his cup to his lips and took a sip. 

It was unlike anything Iwaizumi had ever tasted before. It was warm, but not so warm that it burnt your entire mouth, but not so cold or tepid that it made you want to spit it out. And the flavours all but felt like they exploded in his mouth. He wasn’t sure what Oikawa did to coffee, but as Iwaizumi took another sip, he just knew no other coffee could ever match up to this. 

Even after a third sip and putting his cup down, he still had no words, something that seemed to make Oikawa incredibly pleased. It seemed as though the ultimate praise for him, was to render someone speechless, which he had managed perfectly. 

“Well then, let’s eat!” Oikawa smiled and started eating happily. Iwaizumi was still flabbergasted as he slowly started eating as well. 

After a bit of food and some more sips of coffee from Iwaizumi’s side, he had gotten a bit more used to the taste, which allowed and easy conversation to spike up between him and Oikawa as they ate. 

The topic seemed to settle on schools, and for some reason, sports. They had both played a bit of volleyball in middle- and high-school but found bigger passions elsewhere that made volleyball seem insignificant. 

Although they noticed the time, they didn’t want to let the conversation go. They cleaned up after the cosy breakfast and headed to the door to get going to their work, but even that didn’t stop their talking about schools and volleyball and further education. 

The conversation didn’t stop until they were outside Oikawa’s coffeehouse, and then, it only stopped because they had looked at each other and met each other halfway for a kiss neither of them even expected to come. It had felt so natural, that even as they said goodbye to each other, they didn’t think of it. In fact, Iwaizumi didn’t even register it was weird until he came into his parlour and saw Matsukawa and Hanamaki look at him as though he had three heads. 

“What’s wrong with you two?” Iwaizumi had frowned slightly, which only caused Matsukawa and Hanamaki to stare at him even weirder until Hanamaki all but climbed over Matsukawa’s lap and walked over to him to put his hand on his forehead. “That’s what I figured. You have Oikawa syndrome. That’s what happens when you just decide to kiss him out of the blue.” He shook his head lightly and Iwaizumi could see Matsukawa doing the same. “You should be careful Iwaizumi, are you sure you’re ready to go that far? You haven’t even been on any dates with him yet.” 

Both of the males looked way too pleased as reality slowly dawned on Iwaizumi’s face. Hanamaki sat down pleased on Matsukawa’s lap as they both watched Iwaizumi turn pale as a ghost before he turned beet red and stomped off to get changed without saying another word to either of them. 

The two males simply watched him leave with grins on their faces. “Seems like that wild cat is going to owe us if this continues, wouldn’t you say, Issei?” Hanamaki grinned at his dark haired boyfriend before kissing him lightly on the nose. “This is going to be fun.” 

\-------------

On the other side of the street the entire coffee house was in chaos. 

The moment Oikawa had stepped through the door, Kunimi had glared at him and said it was his fault he had to use energy to make sure Kindaichi didn’t get a concussion from falling when he passed out from seeing Oikawa kiss the tattooist. 

Oikawa had simply shrugged it off and continued to fan himself while loudly proclaiming it was the best kiss of his life. If looks could kill, he was sure Kunimi’s expression would have sent him straight to heaven. 

He was very glad Moniwa and Yahaba weren’t there though, Kunimi was more than enough for Oikawa to handle when he was feeling so blissful. 

Although it was more Kunimi trying to get Oikawa to do his actual job instead of fooling around like a love-struck moron, as he so had said himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really should find all the workers of oikawa's coffeehouse soon. Consistency is my friend, i hope.


	6. Distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In need of something to take his mind of the events of that morning, Iwaizumi makes a trip to Kuroo and Kenma. Drinking on a regular work day, maybe not so good, but maybe okay, considering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't promise any consistency on this, okay, i wrote this in like an hour and a half because i suddenly had an idea that would fit perfectly, so bear with me!   
> also, those four cats have a really spesific headcanon, i'm glad i finally got to use them.  
> sorry for terrible summary oops   
> Enjoy!

The rest of Iwaizumi’s day was dreadfully slow and breaks were spent avoiding everyone and everything. Not because he wanted to, not really anyway, he just absolutely did not need Matsukawa and Hanamaki’s prying gazes. He also didn’t need to see Oikawa, no, he needed space and time to comprehend the situation. 

Hanging about at work gave him none of that. So, after they had closed up the parlour and Iwaizumi was headed home, he fished up his phone and dialled a familiar number. After three rings, it was answered, but not at all in the way Iwaizumi had expected it to, or maybe it was expected.

“Hello, hello Iwaizumi! You’re on the hands-free system, so if it’s something dirty, spare it for later.” The tone was as teasing as ever. Iwaizumi sometimes wondered if Kuroo could sound anything but teasing. Judging by the faint snort that followed his statement, which Iwaizumi was fairly certain belonged to Kenma, he wasn’t the only one who thought that. 

“As if, moron.” Clearing his throat slightly, he continued. “Hello, Kenma.” Waiting a bit for the reply of a flat “Hello, Iwaizumi,” from Kenma, he had almost reached his apartment by the time he got to the point. “Anyway, Kuroo, are you free later?” 

He wouldn’t say it felt awkward to ask, he had known Kuroo too long to feel awkward about anything. It just felt queasy, yes, that was the word. 

“About that whole kissy kissy situation you had going on this morning, hmm? You do damn fine on your own, once you get your ass moving.” After a bit of laughing on both ends, Kuroo’s tone changed. It was light, almost undetectable and mostly used when he had to smoothly persuade Kenma to do something. “No, but sure, I’m free after dinner.” There was a brief pause, before; “You can join us for dinner, I don’t mind, the cats won’t mind either.” 

It wasn’t often Kenma took the initiative to anything, well, more especially when it came to matters that were outside things that just concerned him and Kuroo. Although the thought of the four cats the pair had clinging to him as they usually did made him slightly uneasy, he had never really been one to pass on a chance to skip making dinner himself. So, without thinking too much over it, Iwaizumi said “Okay,” and as he toed off his shoes after locking himself into his apartment they agreed to all be at their place in an hour. 

It suited Iwaizumi just fine, really, eating dinner all alone was lonely either way. Well, that, and he had to admit he had missed those cats. The actual cats, the four cats Kuroo and Kenma had, those cats. 

As creative as their nationwide nickname was, it had a tendency to be dreadful. Especially when the most profiled of the ‘cats’ had four cats. Explaining it was a pain, especially when people after that wanted to know where it came from. Iwaizumi had heard Kuroo joke about coming from an alien cat planet more times than he could count. The reactions from people who believed it, or that Kuroo managed to persuade into believing it, were still fascinating, but he could recite the story forward, backward and in his sleep by now. 

Despite the foolish antics, Kuroo was one of the greatest friends he had. Shaking his head, Iwaizumi finished changing and headed back for the door. He didn’t bother looking at the clock, he already knew he had zoned out for longer than he should have. A reminder from the clock wasn’t something he needed on top of it all. 

Using a second to decide between bike or car keys, Iwaizumi grabbed his helmet on the way out the door and headed for the slowly opening garage port. In there stood his black baby whom he used way less than he liked. 

His shining, all black Honda CBR500R shone as Iwaizumi rolled it out into the sunlight. To make up for not using it often, he made sure to keep it up to date and sparkly clean in case he was to use it. Apart from tattooing, his passion was bikes. They were a true thrill to ride. 

Making sure the garage port was closed, Iwaizumi put all needless keys in his pocket and zipped it shut. Then he put on his equally black helmet, let the excitement fill him and got on the bike, kicked the kickstand up and roared the engine to life before driving out of the driveway. 

It didn’t take him more than fifteen minutes to get to Kuroo and Kenma’s apartment, a ride that usually took twenty minutes thanks to traffic. Despite that, he knew he was late. Not by much, but still a bit late. 

Before he heard the padding of feet into the hallway, Iwaizumi heard meowing – probably from Shiro and Kuro – then the door opened to reveal Kuroo with a cat on his shoulder and one trying for his leg. “Sorry about this, they’re in a snuggle mood.” With a chuckle, he moved aside to let Iwaizumi in. “Nothing out of the ordinary there.” 

The moment he spoke, Iwaizumi heard a thud, followed by a slightly louder thud, finished by fast tapping of paws coming toward the entrance hall as he closed the door. Kuro, the white oriental, had made her way over from Kuroo’s shoulder and to his own. However, the cats in front of him now with their tails raised high and straight in interest, were far heavier than either Kuro or Shiro could ever become. 

As he sat down in the entrance hall to welcome them more easily, he heard Kuroo mutter something before heading back into the kitchen. Iwaizumi didn’t have time to pay attention to it though, for the moment after he had sat down, he had his arms and his lap full of two big, fluffy cats. 

Soubi – the beige Maine coon – was usually shy towards strangers, so they had all been surprised when he had been the first to snuggle up to Iwaizumi the first time he met them properly. Gin – the silver Maine coon – on the other hand, did not like him at first. Now, after she had warmed up to him, he got the current response every time he came by. 

After a good two-three minutes of trying to pet all cats equally, Iwaizumi could finally get up and move into the living room – with the cats following. It was no longer a surprise to see this happen, but Iwaizumi could see it still brought a smile to Kenma’s face, perhaps because he at last could game in peace, Iwaizumi wasn’t sure. 

When he at last could sit down in the couch opposite of the one Kenma was sitting in, it didn’t take long before Soubi found a perfect pillow to sleep on, Iwaizumi’s lap. While they all waited for dinner, Iwaizumi occupied himself with stroking and petting Soubi’s perfectly smooth, soft beige and orangey fur. 

Losing track of time for a bit, almost all of them were startled as Kuroo tapped his knuckles against the kitchen island and cleared his throat to get their attention. Before Iwaizumi could give Soubi a tiny push to get him off, the large cat had turned over and leaped toward Kuroo in the kitchen along with Gin, Kuro and Shiro. 

For both cat and man, dinner went smoothly. Kuroo rarely accepted compliments on his cooking without seeming almost bashful, but he was a brilliant cook. Having friends that were professional cooks had its advantages, that was sure. 

After a delicious dinner, it was time for the dishes, a task that was set for both Iwaizumi and Kenma. Iwaizumi cleared the plates, cutlery and the pots, Kenma put them in the dishwasher. 

They were nearly done when they heard the clanking of bottles and turned around to look equally confused, then exasperated at Kuroo. “What?” Feigning innocence as he put down the bottles, he could only look at the mirroring looks on his boyfriend and his best friend’s faces. “Oh come on, to toast up the uprising possible love life of Iwaizumi Hajime, we’ve gotta get shitfaced!” 

And shitfaced was just about what they got too. Thinking for the three of them combined, Kenma had decided not to drink. Someone would have to take Iwaizumi’s piss drunk self home anyway. Or, hopefully get Iwaizumi’s piss drunk self home. When he had finished cleaning up most of the bottles and various other trash, he found Iwaizumi rubbing his face into Soubi’s fluffy belly while Soubi looked to have the time of his life. If the loud purring was anything to go by anyway. Clearing his throat slightly, Kenma tapped Iwaizumi on the shoulder lightly. “It’s time to get you home.” 

After a minute long, pretty one-sided discussion with Iwaizumi, Kenma had at last managed to get Iwaizumi in the car and got his seat belt on. For a while, the car ride was quiet, then Iwaizumi, more drunk than sober, had turned to him. “I really envy your relationship with Kuroo, it’s so… fantastic. I wish… but I can’t… uh.” Keeping his eyes on the road, Kenma struggled lightly to make out the words Iwaizumi spoke through his slurred speech. 

“You and that Oikawa guy seem to be getting it on pretty good, though.” Kenma had to struggle to keep his voice even as an odd noise came from Iwaizumi. “Dude, no. We’re literally just walking around the actual issue, like constantly, always.” While his speech was still slurred, it was a tiny bit better now. 

“Then call him, right now, and tell him how you feel. Waiting around until you’re sure you’re ready to come clean about it, won’t work.” He was well aware that drunk dialling was a terrible choice, and had meant it as a joke, but when he looked briefly to his side and saw Iwaizumi fiddle with his phone, he cursed himself lowly for even making the suggestion. Well, it would be all on Iwaizumi either way, and maybe it would do good, he had no way to be sure. 

In a haze of alcohol, it proved difficult for Iwaizumi to find Oikawa’s number in his contact list, but when he first did, he didn’t even hesitate to press the little green phone. 

Iwaizumi was so far gone in his bubble of booze effect that he didn’t even think over that it was almost three in the morning, and sleep time for the average person. Not to mention that it still was just night to Tuesday. Nothing of that mattered. 

After quite a few rings, Oikawa picked up. “Iwa-chan? It’s almost three in the morning… why aren’t you asleep?” Iwaizumi had to listen hard to make out the words properly, as Oikawa’s face was likely mushed into his pillow. As it would, when you had been asleep moments ago. 

Still, he couldn’t find it within himself to give a damn. 

Making a sour attempt of clearing his throat, Iwaizumi finally said the words. “I think I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, Iwa-chan's bike is an actual bike and it's a sexy as hell bike it's amazing   
> http://powersports.honda.com/2016/cbr500r/colors.aspx

**Author's Note:**

> hm, it's not very likely that Kuroo and Iwaizumi would be friends.. but I like the idea so I rolled with it.  
> Also, the chapter is named after Iwa-chan's parlour. If i'm not completely off track here, then Ink and watercolour would be Inku to suisaiga in japanese and Iwachan specializes in watercolour tattoos.


End file.
